Do You Remember the Early computers??

[barry21]

My first computer was a ZX81 and it had a expansion pack which boosted the memory to 16k!!!!
The second computer was a ZX spectrum 125 the one with the tape deck attatched.
I had a Sega master system which I still have and it does work!!
The Sega Mega system which still works as well,I did have the cd add on but that was a joke!!!
The Atari 2800 is a nice console which introduced me to centipede. And yes,mine still works!!!
Next was the Playstation 1 and 2.
now we have the Pc, the first was an old IBM running windows 95. No i got rid of that just in case you are wondering!!!!

[Techno]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

We had a ZX81 with the 16K RAM pack that crashed if you pressed the keys too hard. We also had an Atari 2600. I remember going round other people's houses and playing on a Dragon 32, an Atari 400 and a Texas Instruments I think, the game was called Parsec definitely. Another friend had an Intellivision I think it was.

I never really liked the Atari much to be honest. We sold the Atari to buy a ZX Spectrum. I can't remember what happened to the ZX81. I used to program the Spectrum a lot. I remember that we gained another one during the 1980s for some reason. I remember opening one of them up to look inside. I don't know what happened to them. I gained an O level in Computer Studies grade A then went out to work doing office jobs on computers.

The first job I had we had one green screen terminal between about four of us, we had two "VDU operators" who typed stuff in for us, then on top of that there was a typing pool as well, where you dictated into a machine and they typed it up on typewriters. Then other jobs the computers were more advanced, they could print letters and they actually had colour screens! But they were still dumb terminals connected to mainframes.

Went to university and saw a PC for the first time, but they didn't run Windows. The WP was WordPerfect and the spreadsheet was SuperCalc if I remember correctly. Then saw Windows for the first time about 1994. I remember one job I had the WP was Lotus Ami Pro. Then another job they used MS Word and I thought "God, this is rubbish compared to Ami Pro".

I lost interest in computers at home, but my brother stayed interested and seemed to have a knack of collecting them from people. He gained a Spectrum 128 I think it was, an Amstrad word processor and an Atari ST. People just used to give them to him! He also had a GameBoy.

Then I bought a Playstation about 1997. Then I bought my first PC in 2000. I had a Nintendo DS but I didn't like it and traded it in for a PS Portable which is still useful for travelling and when I'm bored visiting people . I love Lego Star Wars.

Nowadays I am learning to program again, this time I'm concentrating on Object Orientated and server programming.

[Techno]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

I forgot to mention that my Dad bought an Acorn Atom as a kit and tried to put it together but never managed to get it working.

I also remember using Commodore PET/CBMs at school.

[barry21]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

I can't remember what happened to my ZX81.
I seem to remember a green screened Amstrad but I cant remember actually owning it so I can only assume that one of my mates had one?
I got a Game boy but the screen was too dark to have colour. I then got a Ds then upgrade to a DSi it is quite good to be able to connect to the internet even though it is slow and uses the Opera browser.

[Scottie_UK]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

I collect old computers from the early 80's.

I have:

2: ZX 81,
Approx 14: ZX Spectrum (various models) with 'all the optional accessories',
2 BBC Micro's,
1 Acorn Electron,
3 Commodore 64's and one disk drive.
3 Atari 2600.

My favourites are the ZX Spectrum and the CBM 64 with the BBC a close third.

[darren]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

impressive scotty mate.
i have the following

Commodre 64 with C64 tape deck.
Snes.
Jap Snes
Nes
Wii
N64
Gamecube
spectrum 16k

i recently bought for the snes alien 8 and knightshade.
i have just over 30 games for the spectrum.
games like jsw. etc etc.

[vanhelsing]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

Did anybody remember the infamosu Rampack wobble on the ZX81? You onlt had top tap it and the coputer would crash.

[Wil]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

I definitely remember the 'wobble'. I had a Memotech 32k pack on the back of my ZX81 and had to have it sat with the ram hanging off the edge of a table to lessen the chance of it throwing a wobbler. I've still got it along with a BBC Model B, Speccy, C64, Sony Hit-Bit MSX and a Amiga 500 from the '80s. For my retro console gaming I've got an Atari 2600, Colecovision and a Vectrex (my fave) along with a load of more current ones like the SNES, Mega Drive, PlayStation (1&2), Dreamcast, Gamecube etc. Oh boy, now I list it and put with the current 360 and Wii I don't know where I keep it all.

[darren]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

the vectrex was like a big tv screen was it not.
the atari and the 3 sega consoles,MS,MD,SATURN are consoles i want for next year.

[Austin Maxi]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

I had a ZX81 with the 16k RAM pack. I remember the game 'Mazogs' where you played a character who ran round a maze fighting monsters, and had to rescue a prisoner. Quite a good game for the machine.

Then I had the rubber-keyed ZX Spectrum 48k. I had many games for that.

I stopped playing on computers for a long while, but got back into it again in '97 when I got a Playstation. Then I got a PS2 which I still use, however, I'm not really much of a gamer anymore, which is why I haven't upgraded to a PS3 or Xbox 360.

[Scottie_UK]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

Did anyone have those big beige Research Machines Link 480Z computers in their schools?

[bandbox17]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

I remember the commodore, with the first flight simulator, well not really userfriendly.

[barry21]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

My wife had a commodeore 64 which still works, it has a tape deck that if you are lucky it will load your software. how things have changed heh?

[n3llyo]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

i had the zx81 upgraded to a comodore 64 then on to the Amiga 500

regularly getting the magazines such as zzap for them
,i remember one time (cant remember what model it was for) one of the magazines had an article in it saying that this particular computer had a hidden game built inside its chip set and you had to type in a code/programme to start it up i was eager to find out what it was and as i was (and still am ) utterly useless and very slow with a keyboard i sat there for what seemed like a whole day typing this 2 pages of code pressed run and multicoloured lettering appeared on the tv screen saying "APRIL FOOL!" i didnt find it at all funny

[lifestyle2011]

Re: Do You Remember the Early computers??

Did anyone have those big beige Research Machines Link 480Z computers in their schools?

Yes we had those, infact when I was at school we originally only had one which you had to book time to go on, three of used to use it on a Monday night after school!! We then moved onto a network of them in one room which was powered by a 380z Server it had about 10mb storage and if you went anywhere near it, it would crash!!!